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G. G. BENJAMIN.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

No. 821,570. Patented July 7, 188-5.

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U ITED STATES ATENT Fries.

GEORGE G. BENJAMIN, OF NEVV YORK, N. Y.

MUSiC-LEAF TURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,570, dated July 7, 1885.

Application filed May 1, 1884. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE G. BENJAMIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved and adjustable device for retaining the leaves of music-books and sheet-music Smooth and upright upon a music-rack, and sufficiently separated from each other to afford ready access for turning them, and which will facilitate the turning of such leaves successively and without waste of time, by successively-arranged handles or catches.

The construction and combination of parts which constitute the present invention will be hereinafter fully described and claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved music-holder. Figs. 2 and 3 are top views of the horizontal leaf-turning bars, showing two modifications of the manner of arranging them eccentrically to their common hingepin in order to retain them parallel with each other. Fig. 4 is a detail front view of one of the horizontal leaf-turning bars with upper leaf-clasp attached. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the said clasp. Fig. 6 is a detail sec tion on the line y y of one of the vertical leafturning bars of Fig. 1, showing an edge view of its lateral paper-clasp.

A may be the ordinary music-rack, or a separate upright, a, with foot-board a,which, by spring-clasps or other fastening devices a upon the latter, may be attached to the footboard of a music-rack.

In the foot-board, at the middle of the upright a, and a little distance in front of the same, is secured a pin, (t the purpose of which is to hold the lower edge of the back of the book or center fold of the sheet, to keep it in position. For the same purpose a similar pin,-b, is attached to a vertical slide-rod, B, to hold in the same manner the upper edge of the back of the book or the center fold of the sheet. The rod Bis fitted to be slid vertically in a socket, I), made in or attached to the upright a, for the purpose of enabling the raising or lowering of said rod, so as to grasp with its pin 1) sheets of various height. The socket b may be a pipe secured to a flange attachable by screws to any ordinary music-rack, and this may be preferable.

The upper end of the rod B, above a shoulder, b thereon, forms the hinge-pin or pintlefor a series of horizontal leaf-turning bars, 0, which are hinged upon the said pintle in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the straight portion 0 of each bar covering or being covered by that of the neXt, and the inner portion being curved or angular,'so as to allow of arranging the loop or eye of the hinge of the said bars successively one above the other, thus making them turn upon the same center. If this were not the case-that is to say, if the hinges of all the said bars did not turn upon the same axis, but ever so little laterally of each other the leaf, for instance, when smooth on the right side, would be gathered up, puckered, or contracted when turned over to the left side, and vice versa.

The curved portions of the bars 0 on which the hinged loops 0 are formed or attached are indicated by numbers 1 to 5, inclusive, in the drawings. In order to maintain the bars 0 parallel with each other,whilc yet permitting them to turn on a common hinge-pin as aforesaid, the curved portions 1 2 3 4 5 are bent at c where they join the horizontal portion 0 in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that each one of the said curved portions seen from above will cover in a straight line the succeeding curved portion of the next bar below, thus all joining the hinge centrally. Another and preferable manner, however, of connecting the hinge-loop to the bars 0 so as to keep the latter parallel with each other is shownin Fig. 3,where the middle bar (marked 3) is joined centrally to the hinge-loop, and the other bars (marked 2 and l, 4 and 5) are arranged on either side thereof, and are fastened to the hinge-loop more or less eccentrically, according to the distance from the central bar, (marked 8.) This is clearly shown in Fig. 3, where the bars are drawn separately, and also shown together upon the hinge-pin.

Each leaf of music when adjusted in the holder rests with its upper horizontal edge upon one of the said bars 0, and is held in position clamped to the said bar by a springclasp, D, which is constructed as shown in edge view in Fig. 5, being fitted to slide by its portion (1 upon the bar 0 and having its upturned end (1 for use as a handle to press on and open the clasp for the insertion of the paper at d and also for use by applying the finger at the under side thereof when turning the leaf.

By arranging the clasps successively from right to left on the horizontal bars 0, as shown in Fig. 1, the leaves may be conveniently turned by grasping the clasps in successive order from the right toward the left. On pianos where the\player is in a sitting position, and it is inconvenient to reach the upper end of the sheet and turn the same, the clasps E are arranged to be operated in successive order upward, and are clasped to the outer vertical edge of the sheet. For this purpose a vertical bar, F, is provided with a horizontal hollow portion, f, by which it is fitted to slide tightly upon the horizontal bar 0, this for the purpose of adjusting the position of the vertical bar F so that the vertical edge of the paper may rest upon it in the same manner as the horizontal edge is resting on the bar 0. i

The aforesaid spring-clasps E are in all respects similar to the above-described clasps D, the parts marked 0, e, and a corresponding exactly to the parts of the clasp D which are marked (1, d, and (1 respectively, and the clasp E is fitted to slide by its portion e tightly on the bar F in the same manner as the clasp D slides upon the bar 0. For each horizontal bar G one vertical bar F should be used. The clasps D E may be both used simultaneously, or only one of them, as the occasion may require. \Vhen the sheets are low, the vertical bars F are temporarily dispensed with.

\Vhen a plate having the socket b is attached to the ordinary inclined music-rack, the bars 0 are best supported in the proper position to display the leaves-that is, prevented from turning too far backward on their hinge-pinby resting against the rack itself; but when, in place of such a rack, only a foot-board and a central upright is used, as shown in the drawings, stops G and H are secured to the rod 13, respectively below and above the'hinge-pin, the stop G retaining the bar 05 from further backward movement at the right, and the latter bar sustaining all the others, and the stop H retaining the bar 0 1 from turning too far back at the left, and the latter bar sustaining all the others when on that side of the rod.

The rod B should be made square or angular below the pintle, to prevent it from turning in the socket Z), which latter, of course, should be of corresponding shape of cross-section. It may, however, be made round and kept from turning by means of a set-screw.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A musioholder consisting of the combination of a bottom board or foot-rest having an upright socket, b, a rod, B, sliding in the said socket and having at its upper end a shoulder, I), and above said shoulder a pivot or hinge-pin, a series of bars, 0, having hori zontal arms 0, which overlap each, and provided at their inner ends with upturned por tions 1 2 3 a 5, ending with respective and successively supeij acent eyes or hinge-loops c, by which they are fitted to turn upon the said hinge-pin, and paper-clasps D, arranged to slide upon the said horizontal arms 0, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a music-holder having an adjustable upright rod, B, and horizontal bars 0, pivoted upon the said rod in position to overlap each other and serve as lateral supports to the upper edges of the leaves, the combination, with. the said bars 0, of downwardly-prey ecting bars F, fitted to slide by a transverse socket, f, upon the said bars 0, the said bars F being arranged to support the vertical edges of the leaves, and provided with sliding paper-clasps E, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 11th day of April, 1884.

GEORGE G. BENJAMIN. lVitnesses:

A. XV. ALMQVIST, Ron'r. W. Ma'r'rnnws. 

